[Title] Press Conference by the Prime Minister on the Visit to Shizuoka Prefecture to Inspect the State of the Damage Caused by the Heavy Rains That Began on July 1 and Other Matters

(On the large-scale landslides in Atami City, support measures for the affected people, etc.)

First of all, today I express my sincere condolences for those who lost their lives in the mudslides and my heartfelt sympathy to all those who have been affected by the disaster.

I visited the disaster area today. I listened to the stories of those who engaged in rescue operations by pushing through houses and roads buried under a huge amount of soil and dust that are more than two meters high. I would like to express my deepest appreciation for personnel from police, fire departments, the Japan Coast Guard, and Self-Defense Forces who have been searching for missing people under such harsh conditions.

Then I received requests from Dr. Kawakatsu, Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, and Mr. Saito, Mayor of Atami City. We are doing everything we can to meet the requests received as our policy, so we will consider them in this light.

At the same time, I have also been informed that the residents are facing great difficulties amid the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and that adverse impacts on its reputation and cancellation of hotel reservations have put them into a highly difficult situation, considering in particular that Atami City is a resort destination. In order for them to conduct daily lives with hope, the Team to Support the Rebuilding of Disaster Victims' Daily Lives and Livelihoods within the Government will take their situation seriously and proceed forward in a coordinated manner. Meanwhile, as you mentioned, massive damage has continued to occur every year. Therefore, we will boldly accelerate the development of materials and equipment necessary to forecast linear precipitation bands. In light of this, we will steadily implement measures against large-scale disasters.